The trend of U.S. stock index futures is limited, as investors are reluctant to make large bets ahead of economic data and speeches by Federal Reserve officials in the coming days. The market may gain clues about the prospects for rate cuts from these latest developments. Matt Stucky, Chief Equity Portfolio Manager at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co., said: "We have always believed that the Fed is unlikely to act as quickly as the market expects, and data from the first few months will only confirm that the first rate cut will be postponed until the third quarter."